<Anchor> If
you buy beef or pork these days, there is a thin pad inside the packaging that absorbs the blood of the meat. For the first time, it was confirmed that a large amount of microplastics in this absorbent pad were left on the surface of the meat.
What happened is reported exclusively by environmental reporter Jang Se-man.
<Reporter>
A fresh meat packaging workshop in a large mart.
After cutting a chunk of meat into a certain size, put it in a disposable container and wrap it with plastic wrap, but there are some things that don't fall out.
It's a matter of putting on a moisture absorbent pad.
[Market fresh meat corner employee: There is a lot of blood in the summer, or (consumers) say that there is a lot of blood in these things.] The
absorbent pad contains fine granules of SAP, that is, superabsorbent resin.
It absorbs moisture well and is mainly used for diapers and sanitary napkins, but it is also used for food.
The problem is that the absorbent SAP ingredient in the absorbent pad gets on the meat.
After purchasing three meat samples from a commercial mart and sending them to a specialized laboratory, SAP substances were detected on all meat surfaces.
Based on 200g, the average is 1.6mg, which is equivalent to 7,200 pieces of microplastic the thickness of a human hair.
[Ahn Ho-young/Democratic Rep. (Hwan-no-wi): We need to accurately investigate to what extent it is currently being distributed, and investigation of ingredients for harmfulness needs to be done urgently.]
Six meat samples commissioned by reporters to a separate research center SAP substances were also detected in the middle five points.
The reason that the SAP contained in the absorbent pad is exposed to the outside is due to a loophole in the manufacturing process.
Since SAP is a fine grain, it is scattered during processing and is deposited on the surface of the pad.
[Moisture pad company employee: (SAP powder) accumulates under this frame. It is said that this is a scattering because it has accumulated a lot. This means that it can go anywhere.] The
non-woven fabric surrounding the absorbent pad is also a problem.
The SAP particles are too small to pass through the non-dense non-woven fabric.
The key will be whether the SAP material, which is a microplastic component, is harmful to humans.
Although research on the harmfulness of microplastics has just begun, research results are coming out that show that they penetrate into the respiratory tract, blood vessels, and organs, causing an immune response or cytotoxicity.
But there is also another problem.
Due to the nature of the substance called SAP, there is a possibility that substances of concern for toxicity may be mixed during the raw material production process.
For this reason, the US FDA has regulations limiting the proportion of substances of concern for toxicity when using SAP as a food container.
Unlike the FDA, Korea does not have standards for SAP substances used for food.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is in the position of inspecting safety through the food container management system, but there was a hole here too.
The current rule is that we only see substances that come into direct contact with food that are transferred to the food.
In other words, it only inspects whether the nonwoven fabric covering the moisture pad is transferred to food, and whether or not the SAP material inside the moisture pad is stained is not included in the inspection item.
For this reason, absorbent pad manufacturers also say that there have been no restrictions on the use of food.
The problem is that unless the manufacturer discloses specific raw materials, it is difficult to determine which ingredients are used, so there is a limit to the coverage.
As soon as possible, the food authorities should step in and verify the actual ingredients and usage of the moisture pad and whether they are harmful to the human body.
(Video coverage: Lee Seung-hwan, video editing: Lee So-young, CG: Seo Hyun-joong, VJ: Shin So-young)